title: The association between parental interaction style and children's joint engagement in families with toddlers with autism.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examines the relationship between parental interaction style (responsive vs directive) and child-initiated joint engagement within caregiver-child interactions with toddlers diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders.
  
  
  METHODS
  Videotaped interactions of 85 toddler-caregiver dyads were coded for child engagement and both parental responsiveness and directiveness.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Altogether, children spent less than one-third of the interaction jointly engaged. After controlling for child characteristics, parental style was associated with the initiator (child or parent) of joint engagement. Specifically, responsiveness predicted total time in child-initiated joint engagement, while directiveness predicted total time in parent-initiated joint engagement. Children's social behaviours were associated with child-initiated joint engagement.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Social initiations are a key target for children with autism spectrum disorders. Results demonstrate that child initiations and global social behaviour ratings are associated with parental responsivity. Responsivity may be a critical factor to facilitate children's initiations.
authors.affiliation: University of California, Los Angeles, USA sypatterson@ucla.edu.
authors.forename: Stephanie Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Patterson
authors.affiliation: Autism Speaks, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Elder
authors.affiliation: University of California, Centre for Autism Research and Treatment, Los Angeles, USA.
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gulsrud
authors.affiliation: University of California, Centre for Autism Research and Treatment, Los Angeles, USA.
authors.forename: Connie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kasari
mesh_terms: D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D017028:Caregivers; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000523:psychology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016487:Parenting; D010290:Parents; D012919:Social Behavior; D014743:Videotape Recording
keywords: autism spectrum disorder; joint engagement; parental directiveness; parental responsivity; social initiations; toddlers